Apart from bhikkhunis in Asian countries, in the past 2 to 3
decades Buddhism has spread westward.

An important
wave of Buddhists going west is the Tibetan lineage, since H.H.
the Dalai Lama escaped from Tibet in 1959. Many Tibetan monks
and teachers followed suit. The success of Buddhism in the U.S.A.
is mainly the Tibetan lineage. Women ordained in the Tibetan
lineage are mainly female novices as is available in the Tibetan
lineage.

Later when
more and more western women joined the Tibetan lineage, H.H.
the Dalai Lama suggested that they could receive higher ordination
from the existing Chinese lineage in Taiwan and Hong Kong. As
a result there are some leading bhikkhunis in the Tibetan lineage
now.

Hsi Lai
Temple, a branch from Fo Kuang Shan in Taiwan, also plays an
important role in offering ordination for women since 1988.

As the number
of Western bhikkhunis in the Tibetan lineage grew, there was
a training course on vinaya offered for them in Bodh Gaya (1996)
where more than 100 bhikkhunis and female novices attended.

In December
1996, an ordination for 10 Sri Lankan women was offered and
organise by the Korean bhikkhu Sangha in Sarnath, India.

Fo Kuang
Shan is also planning to host an ordination for bhikkhunis in
Bodh Gaya, India scheduled for February 15-23, 1998.

The need
for women to enjoy and lead a religious life is felt worldwide
and we now see helping hands extending from the Chinese and
Korean Sanghas to help support and establish the bhikkhuni Sangha
in countries where ordination of women is still not available.